Probies
by Liannis
Summary: After a particularly bad day at work, Tim McGee stops by a bar and makes a new friend. As a result, his life keeps getting more complicated. NCIS & Scrubs crossover. Ch9 up now and it's getting angsty.
1. It's Just a Talk

**Author's Notes**: Minor spoilers for Scrubs 1x05 "My Two Dads" and NCIS 3x04 "Silver War". This is my first foray into Scrubs fic, so I hope I did Elliot justice. Both Tim/Elliot have that whole intelligent but insecure thing going on, and it was only as I wrote it I realized how surprisingly alike things really are at NCIS and Sacred Heart. This may be it, or I may write more, so please let me know what you think. The line about 'you don't want it to stop bothering you, because it means you don't care as much anymore' I'm pretty sure came from Dr. Greene on ER. If I remember correctly, he said it to Carter when he was first starting out.

It had been a long day, one of many that he'd had over the past month. The team had spent the day chasing their tails, always a step behind the one who murdered Petty Officers Charles Sinclair and Lily Winchester. When Gibbs had finally told them all to go home, he'd been the last one to the elevator. Normally, he would go home and write, but how could he write about L.J Tibbs and the others when all he could think about was how close they came to saving Winchester. She died right there in front of them, with Ziva and Tony doing their best to keep her alive, Gibbs calling for help, and all he could do was stare. It was hardly his crowning achievement as an NCIS agent, but unlike the rest of them, he'd never seen a person bleed to death in front of him. Rather than driving back to his apartment, McGee found himself pulling into the parking lot of a local bar. Maybe a drink or two would help.

He sat in the car for a minute, before sighing and heading inside. It was a typical dive bar, dim lighting, a jukebox, motley crew of regulars and random visitors, like himself. With only a brief scan around, he took a seat at the bar and ordered a beer. The bartender dropped it off with barely a nod, and headed down the bar to wait on another patron. As he sipped from the beer, McGee heard sniffling from the woman sitting beside him and looked over. She was dressed in hospital scrubs, as if she'd just come from work, like McGee himself.

"Are you all right?"

She looked up at him, eyes slightly wide in a 'deer in the headlights look'. "Oh, my gosh..did I bother you? I'm sorry. I-It's just that I've been having a bad day, well, bad month actually, and I thought having a drink would help. Of course, I should know better, being a doctor..."

Tim couldn't help it, and smiled a little. "It's ok. I know how you feel. I mean, not about being a doctor, but I've been having a bad time lately too." He extended his hand. "I'm Tim."

Now it was her turn to smile, as she shook his hand. "I'm Elliot. It's nice to meet you, Tim."

"So, you're a doctor?"

"An intern, actually, but I'm still expected to know and do everything doctors do without the benefit of all the experience they have." Elliot sighed, taking a drink of her own beer before continuing. "Do you have -any- idea how difficult that is to do?"

He nodded. "I do, actually. It wasn't long ago I was in the same boat you are. Well, we don't have interns at NCIS, they're called probies, but it's the same thing. They expect you to know everything with no experience, and there's no tolerance for failure."

Elliot shook her head. "Do you have a boss who has no sense of humor and always expects you to be two steps ahead of where you are?"

Without meaning to, he laughed. "I can safely say that I do."

"Then, we really are in the same boat. What is NCIS anyway?"

"Oh, it's Naval Criminal Investigative Services. We're basically the police for the Navy, investigating crimes involving Naval officers."

"So you see a lot of murders."

Tim frowned, looking down at the bottle he held as if it would tell him something.. "Yeah. I saw someone die right in front of me today, shot in the chest. While the rest of the team tried to save her life, I just stared. I couldn't move." When he looked back at her, it was obvious how much the experience had upset him. "How do you handle it?"

Elliot sighed. "Today, I came to a bar. Other days, I lock myself in the bathroom and cry. Sometimes, I even talk to my coworkers about it. It just depends..."

"Does it get any easier?"

"Not really. But someone told me that you don't want it to get easier, because it means you don't care as much anymore."

He nodded. "That's true." It was true, but he didn't have to like it. They sat there in silence for a minute or two before Elliot piped up.

"I bet NCIS doesn't have an ass box.."

His interest was piqued. "An ass box? No, we don't.."

She grinned. "Well, it's a box of things that the doctors have taken out of people's asses.." In spite of the disgusted look on Tim's face, she continued. "Anyway, Turk, he's my friend and a surgery intern, was dating Carla, a nurse, only he didn't know what to get her, so he found a really nice pen in the 'Lost and Found'. Only, it wasn't really the 'Lost and Found' box, it was the Ass box, but -he- didn't know that..."

By the time Elliot finished, McGee was laughing so hard he could barely catch his breath. When he finally could talk again, he grinned.

"That was pretty good, but now I've got a story for you, about one of -my- coworkers. His name's Tony, but that's not really important. His father was a Civil War reenactor, and when Tony was little, Dad would make him go to reenactments. But, it wasn't to watch. Dad made little Tony carry the 'poop bucket'."

Now it was Elliot's turn to look shocked and slightly disgusted. "One time, Abby, she's the forensic technician, set up his computer to play 'Dixie' whenever he got mail and he nearly jumped out of his chair." The image of the normally cool DiNozzo irritated amused Tim to no end.

"That's funny.." McGee and Elliot continued talking until the bar closed, beers forgotten. As he put his coat back on, he looked over at her.

"Need a ride?"

She shook her head. "Nah, but thank you."

He smiled. "No, thank you. I'm glad I ran into you tonight."

She smiled back. "Me too." Then, after a moment's hesitation, she scrawled something on a napkin and handed it to him. "It's my number, and my pager number, because that's always on." She paused, mentally berating herself for appearing so desperate.

He tore the napkin in half, writing his number and email address down and handing it to her. "Here is my cell, and my email. Call me anytime, if you want to talk or whatever."

"I will.."

"Good."

As he got into his car and drove away, McGee looked at the clock and sighed. It was going to be a long day tomorrow, but he felt a little bit better about facing it now.


	2. Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Tim was halfway to NCIS Headquarters when his cell phone started ringing. He flipped it open, without taking his eyes off the road.

"Hello??"

"Tim? It's me, Elliot. I know we just met last night, but I was wondering if maybe you'd like to have coffee. I know, this is really short notice, and I'll totally understand if you say no, but I just thought I'd–"

He had to jump in quickly, otherwise Elliot would keep talking until she had to take a breath."I'd love to. Where would you like to meet?"

"Do you know where Sacred Heart is? We have a coffeeshop in the lobby.."

Sacred Heart was only a slight detour from his normal route to NCIS. In fact, he was almost there already. Tim nodded, though she couldn't see it. "Yeah. One of your nurses witnessed a murder, helped us get the guy who did it."

"Really? Who was it? Doris? Laverne? Tabitha, with the lazy eye?"

Tim parked the car with a laugh. "No. Her name was Carla." He was greeted by dead silence on the other end of the line. "Elliot?"

"Carla??"

"Yeah, Carla." He paused briefly. "I take it you know her.."

"Know her? She got the pen from the ass box, that Carla! I can't believe she didn't tell me!"

"Really?" He hadn't made the connection last night, which just goes to show how out of it he was. He mused that it really was a small world after all, wondering who else they both knew.

"Yeah, that Carla. Carla talks about everything..."

"Well, I'm here, and...never mind." Tim flipped his cell closed after nearly running into Elliot in the hallway. "Hey.."

She grinned back at him. "You'll have to tell me more about Carla and your investigation over coffee. You're buying, too."

Tim shook his head, amused. "You're the doctor, shouldn't you pay?"

In response, Elliot wagged her finger at him. "When I write my first bestselling novel, I'll pay, promise." Tim blinked, wracking his brain to remember when he'd mentioned that last night. He was certain he hadn't. The confused look on his face made her giggle.

"You didn't tell me, I found out on my own. It's amazing what the Internet can tell you about strangers you pick up a bar, Mr. Gemcity."

Tim couldn't hide the fact he was impressed, and it showed on his face. "Very good detective work. Perhaps you should have been an investigator, though I imagine that might have been hard given the long line of doctors you come from." Now, it was Tim's turn to be amused.

"I see I'm not the only one who knows how to use the Internet."

Tim shrugged. "It's what I do.."

"So, is the book really based on your job?"

"Sort of...it is loosely based on people I work with." He paused, a confused look on his face. "You've read it?"

"Well, yeah..I read it shortly after it first came out, but I never thought I'd get to meet the author. On the way back to my apartment last night, I thought about how ironic it was I'd meet an NCIS agent after reading the book, between that and the stories you told me, I had a sneaking suspicion." By this time, they'd made it to the front of the line, and Elliot ordered first. "I'll have a black coffee."

Tim nodded. "Make that two." After receiving their drinks, Tim paid the barista, and they sat down at one of the side tables.

"Oh my gosh...Tony is Tommy, isn't he?"

Tim nodded, with a sigh..

"Has he read the book?"

Another sigh. "Yes, he has.. They all have actually.."

"How did they take it? Are they pissed?"

"No, but I will be sure to ask next time." He managed a smile, remembering what Gibbs had told him.

"Why Elliot, who's your new friend?"

She turned around, an awkward look on her face. "Dad, what brings you here?"

Simon Reid looked at Tim, and then back at Elliot. "Can't a father stop by to see his daughter unannounced?"

She nodded. "Of course he can..it's good to see you."

It was obvious to Tim that she wasn't exceptionally happy to see her father, but he said nothing.

"Don't be rude, Elliot, introduce me to your new friend."

She smiled stiffly, before reaching across the table and taking Tim's hand. "This is my boyfriend, Tim. He works for NCIS as an investigator."

Simon paused, considering this a moment. "NCIS?"

Tim was used to the confusion, answering easily. "Naval Criminal Investigative Services. We investigate crimes involving members of the Navy or Marine Corps.."

"So you're military?"

"Actually no." Tim was very aware of Elliot's death grip on his hand. "NCIS is a civilian organization."

"I see.." Thankfully, the awkward silence was broken by Tim's cell phone going off.

"Excuse me.." Leaving Elliot and her father to talk, he walked back out in the hallway, answering the phone. "Hello?"

"Where are you, McGeek?" Tony's irritation was obvious.

"Getting coffee.." which wasn't a lie, just an omission of some of the facts.

"Well, get your ass back here. We're waiting on you."

Tim winced. "I'll be there in ten minutes..."

"Where are you getting coffee, the next state? Make it five, Gibbs is -not- happy." Before McGee could answer, Tony hung up.

Tim walked back over to where Elliot and her father were still talking. "I'm sorry, but I have to get to work. Something's come up.."

Elliot smiled. "That's ok. I'll talk to you later." Lifting his coffee cup, she handed it to him. "Don't forget your coffee."

Without meaning to, Tim smiled. "Thanks, Elliot. Goodbye, Dr. Reid."

He nodded, and Tim was out the door. It wasn't until he'd made it back to his car, put the coffee in his drink holder and pulled out of the Sacred Heart parking lot that he realized what he'd gotten himself into. "What a cliche," he muttered to himself. Now, the question was, what now?

Tags: 15songtitles, probies, tim/elliot


	3. Deja Vu

"Carla!"

The Latina nurse looked up from her paperwork to find Elliot standing in front of her, attempting to appear intimidating.

"Yes, Elliot?"

"Why didn't you tell me? You talk about everything and everyone around here. Why wouldn't you tell me you saw a murder?" There was a slight edge of hurt in Elliot's voice, which was obvious to Carla. She sighed.

"I didn't because I knew you'd act like this."

At this, Elliot looked shocked. "Act like what? Hurt that my best friend wouldn't tell me that she saw something as shocking as a murder?"

Again, Carla was reminded of the difference in their backgrounds. "Elliot, where I come from it's not actually that shocking." She was about to say something else, but paused, brow furrowing in thought. "Wait a second. How did you find out about that? Was it Turk?"

Elliot grinned. "No, for once it wasn't Turk. I met one of the NCIS agents you spoke to the other night."

"Oh really? Where did you happen to meet this NCIS agent?"

"A bar.."

"Oh, then it must have been DiNozzo. But, I have to warn you, Elliot, he's a total ladies' man. I'm just looking out for you."

As Carla gave her heartfelt advice, Elliot had to hide her laughter behind a hand. Of course, Carla noticed.

"What's so funny?"

"It wasn't DiNozzo. It was the other one."

"The grey-haired one, Gibbs? Elliot, he's old enough to be your dad."

Elliot blushed furiously and shook her head back and forth. "No! The other other one..McGee."

"Oh, McGee. He seemed nice."

"He is nice." Elliot checked the hallway before looking back at Carla. "And, he's an author."

"What did he write?"

"Deep Six. The best part is he wrote it about the people he worked with. Tommy, Tibbs, Lisa, Amy, they're his coworkers! Tony is Tommy, Gibbs is Tibbs, and so on."

Carla laughed. "He's a fine writer then. From what I saw, he nailed both Tony and Gibbs. He could have been a little more creative with the names, though."

"I know! Can you imagine if someone wrote a book about Sacred Heart?" The words were just out of Elliot's mouth when she began to wonder if that might not be such a bad idea after all.

"Yeah, that would be fun. Until Dr, Cox, or Jordan, or Kelso found out about it. Then, there'd be blood. Oh, and a lawsuit. Remember when Kelso had Ted sue that Girl Scout troop for soliciting outside the hospital?"

"...True." Then, without thinking Elliot blurted out "I told my dad that Tim was my boyfriend."

"What?? Why did you do that?"

"I-I don't know. He just came out of nowhere while we were having coffee downstairs. He was all 'Introduce me to your new friend, Elliot', and I just called him my boyfriend."

"Oh Elliot. What did he do?"

"My dad or Tim?"

"Who do you think?" Carla rolled her eyes.

"He went along with it, but then he got called into work and had to leave."

"Well, I'm sure your dad would believe it if you said he had some weird problem so you two broke up. Problem solved."

Elliot sighed. "I know that, but..I want to see him again. I just don't know if he will want to see me. I mean what kind of nutjob claims the you're her boyfriend after one night's drinking in a bar? I'll tell you who, a sorority girl, and I haven't been one of those in years. Frick!!"

Carla laughed. "Then you should call him later and talk to him. That will give you an idea of whether he's interested in seeing you again."

"I should call him now.." Elliot turned to go find a quiet place to call, but Carla grabbed her arm.

"No, you shouldn't. You said yourself he just got called into work. That means he's busy."

"But, I need to--"

"Call. Later."

After one last-ditch attempt to wrench her arm free of Carla's grip, Elliot sighed.

"All right, later."

------------- -------------

McGee sighed as he waited for the elevator doors to open. This was all he needed, to start off the day on Gibbs' bad side. Bracing himself for the worst, the doors opened and he stepped out into the bullpen. He looked around, and Gibbs wasn't there. Tony and Ziva were both sitting at their desks, but the boss was nowhere to be found.

Ziva was the first to notice the confused look on McGee's face. "Is something wrong, McGee?"

"Well, Tony called me and said that I needed to get to work as soon as possible because you guys were waiting on me."

Tony grinned. "So where were you getting coffee, McGeek? You should have been here twenty minutes ago. It must have been something pretty important to throw you off your schedule."

Ignoring Tony for the moment, McGee went to his desk and sat down, booting the computer as he did so.

"So, this was a prank? You made McGee think Gibbs was mad at him to find out where he was?"

"Exactly, Ziva."

"Tony, why didn't you just ask him? Wouldn't that have been simpler?"

"It would have if he wanted to tell me where he was. But, as you can see, he doesn't." She was suddenly reminded of Tony's unwillingness to answer questions. Maybe she could put that little tactic to her own good use.

"Why do you care anyway?" McGee was annoyed by the fact that Tony would prank hin like that, though it wasn't really surprising.

"I care because it affects the team. We're all in this together, Probie."

"Really?" Ziva smirked. "So, where is it you keep running off to at such odd hours?"

Tony turned to face Ziva, as he silently cursed himself for not seeing that one coming. "That's different, Ziva. It's an entirely unrelated matter."

"But, Tony, it affects the team. Therefore, I care."

McGee took advantage of the opportunity to slip out of the bullpen and head down to see Abby as

Tony and Ziva continued to debate.

He opened the door to the lab only to find it eerily quiet. He could hear the faint humming of the machinery and computers, but Abby was nowhere to be found.

"Abby?"

"Hey, Tim!" came the familiar chirp from behind him. He turned to see Abby upside-down, back against the wall, doing a headstand.

"What are you doing down there?"

"I'm conducting an experiment to see if the rush of blood to the head that accompanies a headstand has any long-lasting effects." As she spoke, her legs came down and she stood up straight once again. "How are you?"

Tim smiled at Abby, that's just the way she was. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

"What's up?"

"Well, after Petty Officer Winchester died, I couldn't go home and write, you know?"

Abby nodded, and he continued. "I went to a bar, and I met this doctor. Her name's Elliot, and she works at Sacred Heart." Suddenly, he realized how this might sound to Abby and and after the whole 'Snow Queen' incident, he wasn't eager to repeat it. "Nothng happened, we just talked. But, this morning, she called me and asked me if I wanted to have coffee."

"Did you go?" Abby laughed.

"Well yeah, but that's not the part I wanted to talk to you about. While we were there, her dad showed up and she told him I was her boyfriend."

"Let me get this straight. You guys hadn't even been on one date yet unless you consider the coffee a date, which I guess it sort of is, and she's calling you her boyfriend?"

Tim nodded. "You've got it."

Abby sat in silence for a few moments. "Let me meet her."

"Let you meet her?"

She nodded. "Yep, after dealing with Chip, I can spot a nutjob from a mile away. I'll tell you if she's crazy or not."

"I don't know, Abby.."

"Ok, McGee..you wanna date a nutjob, go right ahead."

He didn't really want to introduce Abby to Elliot, but he did value her opinion, and knew that she could be trusted to keep a secret from the rest of the team. "All right, all right, but you can't let Tony find out about this. He already pranked me claiming I was late and that Gibbs was pissed in an attempt to find out why I was late."

Abby shook her head, and squeezed McGee's hand. "He's sneaky, too bad I'm sneakier. Don't worry, Tony won't find out."

"What won't I find out, Abby?" Tony asked as he and Ziva entered the lab. "Very stealthy, Probie, sneaking out on us like that."

"You won't find out what secret mission I sent McGee out on this morning." Her eyes narrowed and she pointed a finger accusingly at Tony. "If you're smart, you won't try to find out either."

Tony wasn't intimidated, in fact he was amused. "Does this mean you two are together? McGeek, I didn't know you had it in you."

Abby smirked, and without any further comment, leaned over and kissed McGee with the same passion she did everything else. When she pulled away, he had a half-smile on his face, having forgotten what a good kisser Abby was.

"You're forgetting Rule 12. Never date a coworker." Ziva interjected.

"They already dated once before, Ziva. Of course, that was before McGee officially joined NCIS." Tony added.

"Yes, well, we'd better get to work or we'll all be getting headslaps."

"Not me..." Abby grinned.


	4. I Don't Drink Alone

It was several hours later when Gibbs stomped into the bullpen.

"Do we have anything new?"

DiNozzo looked up from his computer with a frown. "Nothing yet, boss."

"Why not? What about Abby, did she find anything?" 

McGee, Ziva, and Tony exchanged awkward looks, having entirely forgotten about the tests Abby was running in her lab.

"I'll do it, boss.." Before anyone could respond, McGee was halfway to the elevator.

When the doors to the lab opened, he could hear Abby's music bellowing, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Abby?? Where are you??"

"Right behind you.." He turned, and sure enough, there she was, smiling.

"Did you find anything? Gibbs is looking for results, and we haven't found any." Her smile grew wider as she brushed past McGee to her workstation.

"And as usual, you guys are counting on me to find something. Lucky for you, I didn't let you down." Black polished nails flew over the keyboard and a few seconds later, an image appeared on the screen.

"Do you know what that is, McGee?" 

"Security cam footage from the motel where we found Winchester, Abby. I brought you the tapes." There was a slight undercurrent of annoyance in his voice, since he needed an answer.

Abby noticed, but she wasn't about to let that dampen her enthusiasm. "Very good Tim, but what is that in the upper left-hand corner?"

He squinted. "The killer?"

"Exactly, McGee! He did a great job hiding his face the rest of the time, but from these two frames, I was able to use a series of algorithms to clean up the image and..." Her description was interrupted by a series of beeps as the ID appeared on the screen. "Our mystery man is Lt. Randall Simmons."

The name wasn't familiar to McGee. "Thanks, Abby. I'll bring you a Caf-Pow next time I stop by."

"So when do I meet your girlfriend?" Abby's question stopped him cold. He'd entirely forgotten about the fact that now he was juggling not one, but two fake girlfriends.

"I haven't talked to her yet." 

"But you will, right?" Abby pressed.

"Yes, Abby, I--Wait, why do you care so much about this? You're the one who pointed out it wasn't even a real date.."

The brief moment of silence that greeted him was most decidedly un-Abby like. In fact, he might even have detected a moment of surprise in her normally unflapabble expression. But, as soon as he thought he'd seen it, it was gone, and she was back to her old self. "You're the one who came to me, Tim. If you don't want my help, that's all right. I won't tell Tony about the fact you have a possible nutjob for a---"

"Shh!" A quick visual check of the lab confirmed they were still alone, and his voice dropped.. "I didn't say I didn't want your help, Abby. I'm just surprised by your reaction is all."

"Because I'm concerned for a friend and the cheesy sitcom situation he's found himself in?" She punched Tim playfully in the arm. "That's nothing new.."

Suddenly, he realized something. "Wait a second...you don't think she's crazy at all, do you??"

Abby grinned. "No, I don't. You're a little too sensible for that. But, I do want to meet her."

"Sensible is just a nice way of saying boring, Abby. Besides, some people might say you were crazy." He teased.

"I would never say you're boring, Tim. Iin addition, I am a -lot- of things, but crazy is not one of them." Abby started making a list on her gloved hands. "I'm highly caffeinated, a forensic expert, what some people refer to as a goth-"

"What about working?" McGee and Abby had been so involved in their conversation, they hadn't noticed Gibbs entering the lab.

"Always." Tim did his best to keep his face blank while Abby shifted effortlessly back into forensic technician mode. "As I was explaining to McGee before you joined us, Gibbs, I've identified Winchester's murderer, or at least the last one to see her alive." Two taps on the keyboard and the same frames she'd shown McGee appeared on the monitor. "See him?"

"I do. Have a name yet?"

"Lt. Randall Simmons." She ripped a sheet from the nearby printer and handed it to Gibbs. "There's the rest of his information.

"Good work, Abbs. Let's go, McGee." As Gibbs turned to leave, Abby raised her left hand to her head like a telephone receiver. McGee nodded. He'd call Elliot, though by the looks of things it wouldn't be anytime soon.

--

Exactly six hours after leaving Abby's lab, Tim's phone rang.

"Hello,"

"Hey, Tim. It's Elliot, your fake girlfriend." The sound of her voice made him smile, but there was a slight pause before she continued. "I'm sorry about that. I wasn't expecting my dad to show up like that, it totally caught me off guard." Unbeknownst to Tim, Elliot had been planning what to say to him all day and it took her most of it to figure out how to say what she wanted to without sounding stupid.

"It's ok, Elliot. How are you?"

"Me? Tired..it's been a long day."

"I know what you mean."

There was another pause as Elliot wondered for the hundredth time whether he'd agree to see her again or if he was just too nice to tell her to go away. "I'd like to take you out for a drink since my dad kind of ruined coffee this morning."

"He's not coming, is he?" He was only half-joking, but no reason to tell Elliot that.

Elliot laughed. "No, he's not. He had to fly home this afternoon."

"Then yes, yes I will.."

"Don't tell me an NCIS agent is scared of a doctor.." she teased.

"If I remember correctly, you weren't too happy with the situation either judging by how you were squeezing my hand." He teased back.

"Fair enough. When do you get off work?" 

Tim checked the clock. "I'm off in an hour."

"Works for me. Where do you want to meet?

"What about the same bar as before?" 

"All right. See you there in an hour and a half, Tim."

"Ok, Elliot." There was a click, and she was gone. Rising from his seat, Tim headed back to the lab to tell Abby.

--

No sooner had she hung up the phone, then Elliot felt anxiety creeping up on her. This was an actual date, and she had awful luck with dates. She needed guidance, counseling, Carla. A quick search of the floor found her taking notes on a patient.

"Carla, what are you doing after work?"

"Sleeping." She raised a skeptical brow. "What do you need, Elliot?"

With a sheepish look on her face, she answered. "I want you to go with me tonight. I'm seeing Tim at the bar again. But it's a date now, and I'm nervous."

"Elliot, why are you nervous now? If he's met your dad and not run the opposite way, I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"Maybe not, but I'd just rather not go by myself." It may be stupid for her to feel this way, but Elliot had learned by now that resisting these urges just made things worse.

"Take JD."

"JD? I thought he was going drinking with Turk tonight.."

"He was. Turk's in the middle of surgery, and is going to be there for a few more hours. Besides, he can get his appletinis anywhere."

Elliot grinned. "Thanks, Carla.." Then, she raced down the hall.

"JD, wait!!" Five minutes later, Elliot had her wingman and JD had free appletinis for the night.

--

"So, what's the news?" Abby spun on her chair as Tim returned to the lab.

"We're going out for drinks at the same bar tonight after work."

"Is that a smile I see, McGee? You like her...don't you?"

"I barely know her, Abby."

She shrugged. "How long you know someone isn't what matters. Anyway, I'm going with you."

"Today?" He hadn't expected for them to be meeting so soon, and for some reason he found that disconcerting.

"Yes, today. It's perfect..I could use a drink myself." If Abby noticed Tim's discomfort, she didn't let on.

"I didn't tell her I was bringing anybody."

"So I won't be," She made air quotes with her fingers. "with you. I'll just be in the bar drinking."

"She's read the book, Abby. She might recognize you." Tim knew he was grasping at straws, and his words sounded desperate even to his own ears.

"We can't work at the same place and go to the same bar?" Her tone was amused. "I had no idea there were these kind of laws!"

Tim knew when he was defeated. "All right.." His agreement was greeted by Abby hopping off her chair and hugging him. When she saw the look on his face she laughed.

"It will be fun, Tim. Chin up. If not, we'll get drunk together afterwards, ok?"

He nodded.


	5. Everything is All Right?

McGee checked his watch as the bar appeared on the right. He managed to arrive a few minutes early. He didn't want to admit it, but the sight of Abby's hearse behind him made him feel a little bit better. They parked on the far side, in case Elliot wasn't there yet, because the hearse stood out like a sore thumb.

--

Inside the bar, JD took a drink from his appletini. "Aah, plenty of apple, just how I like it. So, where do you want me to be?"

Elliot had thought about this on the way over. "You can stay at the bar here with me. Neither one of us are in scrubs today, so nobody would guess we were doctors."

He nodded. "Why'd you bring me anyway? I thought you'd already been drinking with him before."

"I did, but that was an accident, a chance meeting. This is a date. You know how I am with dates."

JD didn't even have to close his eyes to see visions of Elliot's failed dates; spilled coffee, a blank stare as she detailed gruesome medical procedures over dinner, the time she ended up flirting with the waitress after getting drunk. The list went on and on until..

"JD!" Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"I was listening."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Then what did I say?"

"You said..." He sighed. "I don't know what you said."

She rolled her eyes, but continued. "I said that I like him. Not like him like him, because I don't know him that well yet, but I don't want him to think I'm a freak."

"You're not a freak, Elliot." Then, the bell over the door rang, and Elliot's head whipped around so fast JD thought she might have given herself whiplash.

"He's here.." she whispered. As Tim made his way to the bar, Elliot noticed another person enter a short time behind him. She had dark hair in pigtails, dressed in black, wore a spiked collar, and seemed to bounce through the bar in stark contrast to the slow methodical plodding of other patrons. It couldn't be, but it was. "Tim! Over here, and bring Abby with you!"

Tim froze. So much for that plan. As Abby brushed past him on the way to the bar, he muttered, "Told you she read the book, Abby."

Abby ignored Tim's little jab, and extended her hand to Elliot with a grin. "I'm Abby, and you must be Elliot. Tim's told me so much about you already."

Elliot smiled, shaking Abby's hand. "Oh really?"

Tim sighed. "It's not what you think, Elliot." This really wasn't getting off to a good start.

Elliot chuckled. "It's exactly what I think it is. You brought someone with you because you were nervous, didn't you?"

"Well, so did you..." Abby piped up before Tim had a chance to respond to Elliot's query.

"What??" Both Elliot and Tim looked shocked.

"The guy next to you drinking appletinis seems a little -too- interested in this conversation for just a random bar patron." Abby noted with a grin. JD almost choked on his appletini, while thinking 'She's good.'

There was a pause, and a guilty smile. "You caught me. Tim, Abby, this is JD. He's also a doctor at Sacred Heart." Tim and Abby shook JD's hand.

"How did you know Abby?" JD questioned.

Elliot sighed. "She's in Tim's book. Do you ever listen to anything I say?"

"In case you couldn't tell, we used to date." JD said, in an attempt at a joke that didn't go over well.. Tim and Abby exchanged glances, and Abby was doing her best to suppress a grin. Finally realizing he wasn't being much help to Elliot, JD rushed to add, "but we aren't anymore."

"Frick.." Elliot muttered as she finished her beer and ordered another one. At this rate, she was going to need it.

"Well, why don't you and I go talk, JD? I think they can handle this themselves, right Tim?" Now, Abby was grinning. Tim had seen that grin before, and that night he slept in a coffin. Though in his own defense, he hadn't known that at the time.

"Yes, Abby, we can." Tim wondered why he'd even thought bringing Abby to the bar was a good idea after all. It sure wasn't working out like he'd planned.

JD smiled awkwardly, picked up his appletini and followed Abby to a nearby table. Elliot looked at Tim, her cheeks red. "That didn't go quite the way I'd hoped."

"Me either." He paused before continuing. "You recognized Abby from the book, didn't you?"

Elliot nodded. "I did. But that's just because you did such a good job writing her."

Tim smiled a little. "It wasn't hard. Abby's a very...vibrant person." But, he really didn't want to spend his time with Elliot talking about Abby, for more than one reason. So, he tried to change the subject. "JD seems nice.."

"He is." Then, Elliot gave an odd sort of half-smile and Tim suddenly found himself curious about the course Elliot and JD's relationship had traveled. Had they dated for a long time? Did she love him? Did he love her? Why did he care? All he knew was that he had an odd feeling in his gut, and if there was one thing he knew by now, it was that those feelings were to be trusted.

---

"I've never been out with a girl who wears a collar before. Is it comfortable?" The words were out of JD's mouth before he realized how stupid they sounded.

Abby just grinned, one of her blood-red nails tracing along the collar itself. She'd worn a collar for so long, she didn't even think about the impact it could have on other people anymore. "It's very comfortable, but I didn't know this was a date. If it was, I would have dressed up."

JD turned three different shades of red before settling on a tomato color that Abby found cute. He was even more nervous than Tim was when they'd first met. Of course, she and Tim had been talking online for a month first. "I-I know it's not a real date, uh, but I just thought--"

Abby decided to spare him any further embarrassment. "I know what you meant, JD. I was just teasing."

As JD struggled to come up with something intelligent-sounding to say, his eyes fell on the book she was carrying: Gray's Anatomy. "I didn't know you were into medicine."

Abby's grin grew wider. "I'm into everything, JD. But I'm borrowing this from Ducky."

"Ducky?" Suddenly JD had an image of a large duck sitting at a table, the book held between two wings.

She laughed. "He's not actually a duck. His real name is Dr. Mallard, and he's the medical examiner at NCIS. Everybody calls him Ducky, though. He can tell a story about anything, and they're so entertaining."

"Oh, well that's cool. The only guy I know who works in the morgue at Sacred Heart is Doug, and well, given his success rate with living patients, that's really for the best, I think."

"Ooh, is he the Angel of Death, killing the terminally ill to spare them the pain of a life of misery?" Abby was intrigued.

JD chuckled. "No, nothing like that. He just wasn't actually that good as a doctor. He makes an excellent coroner, though. Nobody can predict cause of death like Doug can."

Abby grinned. "I always say everybody has a great talent."

He laughed more. "You always look on the bright side, don't you? Some would think that's kind of odd considering your appearance.."

She rolled her eyes. "A goth can't enjoy life? Why, that's like saying a doctor shouldn't be drinking appletinis.."

For a moment JD was stunned, but then he started laughing. A few seconds later, Abby joined in.

-------------

Elliot heard the laughter and glanced over at where JD and Abby were sitting. "They seem to be getting along.

Tim smiled. "Abby gets along with everyone."

Elliot found herself confused. Why was he smiling like that? In the book, Amy was just a friend, but had he and Abby dated? Did he love her? Did she love him? Why did things have to be so complicated?


	6. Closing Time

Elliot didn't quite know what to say. On one hand, it would be an easy thing to ask Tim if he and Abby had ever dated, but what if he said no? Then she would look like an idiot, and it would be the first step toward him realizing what a nutjob she really was and running away. She didn't want him to run away. However, what if he said yes? Would knowing the truth be worth it? Based on what she'd seen so far, Abby (at least the fictional version) was perfect. How could she ever hope to compare with that? She couldn't decide which was the lesser of two evils, to ask or not to ask. Is it better to just wonder, or ask and find out the truth? Could she handle the truth?

"Elliot?"

She blinked twice. "Yes?"

His face held a little bit of concern. "You looked like something was bothering you. Are you ok?"

Elliot blushed, looking down at her bottle and silently cursing the fact it was empty. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" 

Frick. She'd been hoping he'd just let it drop. Perhaps that was too much to expect from someone who investigated people for a living. Her cheeks grew redder, and her eyes focused on his shoulder rather than his face. "D-Did you and Abby ever date?"

Now it was Tim's turn to blush. He knew it would come out eventually, but he wished it hadn't been today. There was a brief, but thoroughly uncomfortable pause before he answered. "Yes, we did."

She looked him in the eye again, unable to avoid noticing his discomfort. "Why did you break up? Did she cheat on you?"

Anger flared behind Tim's normally calm expression, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. It was replaced with a harder edge to his voice. "No. She didn't."

Elliot had been expecting any number of responses, but anger wasn't one of them. However, that told her more than she wanted to know. It told her that although Tim and Abby were no longer together, he still had feelings for her, more than just a friend feelings.

As Tim watched Elliot's expression fall, he was unsure of what to do next. Why on earth would she ask him that? It was not like Elliot at all. They fell into silence, and the only sound was Elliot shredding a napkin into smaller and smaller pieces.

--

"Uh oh.." JD muttered under his breath.

"What??"

"It's Elliot. She's shredding a napkin. Not a good sign."

Abby turned in her chair so that she could see Elliot and Tim. There was already a small pile of white flakes on the table, and it continued to grow as the two sat there in silence. Wrinkling her brow, the Goth frowned. "They were getting along so well, and now they're not even talking. I wonder what happened."

JD sighed. "With Elliot, there's no way to tell. That's why she brought me along. She has a tendency to screw up dates."

But, she was only half listening to what JD said. Instead, she was watching Tim, who seemed upset as well. Finally, curiosity got the better of her, and she began tapping furiously on her phone.

--

The vibrating of his phone distracted Tim from his frustration. Flipping it open, he read

Do U need 2 bail?

He didn't need to look to see who it was from, and he smiled faintly before pecking a reply.

--

Not yet. Thx.

Abby read the message and shrugged before sending one last message.

--

K.

As he closed the phone, Elliot cleared her throat. "I bet you need to go now." She could already feel the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "It's ok, go ahead. I understand." Way to screw another one up, she thought.

"I'm not leaving, Elliot." She was relieved to hear that, though she knew she needed to eliminate the awkwardness soon or he would leave. "But I do need to ask you something."

She sighed. "Go ahead."

"Why did you ask me if Abby cheated on me? That's not like you.."

Her more cynical side wanted to tell him he really didn't know her at all, and if he did, he'd leave. But, instead, she took a deep breath and answered him. "I wanted to know what I was up against."

"Up against? What are you talking about?" Now, he was confused. Abby and Elliot weren't in competition.

This was going to be difficult to explain. "In the book, Abby is Amy. You wrote Amy as this totally wonderful girl." She raised a hand before Tim could interject. "From what I've seen, Abby is wonderful. In fact, she's so wonderful," Elliot's gaze fell to the table, "that I'm left to wonder why you're interested in dating me and not her."

So that's what this was about? Elliot was jealous of Abby? Now, he was going to have to explain why he and Abby broke up to begin with, which was going to be difficult, since he was never really sure himself. "Elliot..look at me."

She did, her eyes wet with unshed tears. Tim handed her his unshredded napkin. "Don't cry." Elliot wiped her eyes, then blew her nose, honking loudly into the napkin.

--

"Oh shit."

"What now?" 

"She's crying. This is -really- not good."

"Did Tim make her cry?" Abby couldn't imagine Tim saying anything to make anyone cry.

"I don't think so." JD paused, searching for the right word. "Elliot can be sensitive at times, and this looks like one of those times." But, if Tim had made Elliot cry, he'd do something. He didn't know what, but something would be done.

--

"So you want to know why me and Abby broke up." He paused, rubbing the back of his head in what he hoped was an attempt to stall that wasn't blatantly obvious. "I would tell you if I knew why we broke up, but in all honesty, I don't. The best guess I have is that we just grew apart. People do that. I'm sure it's happened to you."

He did have a point, there had been a couple of relationships that disintegrated for no real reason. One day the spark was there, and one day it wasn't. It just happened. But, this was different, and she wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. "But you two still work together, and get along."

"So do you and JD. Why did you two break up?" Tim's curiosity was getting the better of him.

Frick. Should have seen that one coming, Elliot. "Which time?" She laughed weakly. "The first time, it was because we started fighting over stupid little things. Then we tried being sex buddies, which didn't work out. I mean, not the sex part, which was great..." She trailed off as the horror of what she'd done struck her full in the face. "T-T-The rest, I'm not sure. You'd probably have to ask JD. He's the one who broke it off."

Tim nodded. "How do you feel about that?"

"It's ok."

He smiled. "That's how it is with me and Abby. We're not together now, but that's ok. We're still friends. "

Elliot smiled back. She really wanted to believe Tim, but she wasn't so sure his feelings for Abby were just those of a friend. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw JD watching them and managed a wave.

--

JD sighed in relief. "Things are better." He then lifted his glass and drained what was left of his appletini.

"Worry about Elliot a lot?" Abby asked before taking a drink from her beer.

"Not as much as she worries about herself." It was only then that JD realized that he'd been ignoring Abby for about ten minutes. "Oh geez, I'm sorry, Abby. I didn't mean to ignore you, it's just that-" 

"That you were looking out for Elliot." She smiled. "I understand, and if you don't remember, I was keeping an eye on Tim. Of course, that doesn't mean we can't go out on our own sometime, right?" 

He blinked. "Really?"

Abby laughed. "Yes, really. You'll find I don't usually say things I don't mean."

"Then, I'd love to."

"It's a date, then."

--

Elliot sighed. "This night sure didn't go like I planned."

Tim quirked a brow. "How did you plan this night to go?"

"We'd talk, laugh, and everything would go well. You wouldn't see me crying or looking like an idiot."

Tim put his hand over hers and squeezed it. "Elliot, I don't think you look like an idiot and I don't mind if you cry."

"Really? So you'd go out with me again?" She looked hopeful and anxious at the same time, and Tim found it cute.

"Yes, of course." Elliot brightened immediately.

"Great!"

--

When the bar closed, the four went their separate ways.

"Are you ok?" JD asked Elliot.

She smiled. "Yeah. We're going out again."

"That's great." JD was happy for Elliot, at least mostly.

"So, how was your date with Abby?" She asked, taking his arm.

"Well, it wasn't really a date, but she's cool. We're actually going out on our own sometime." 

"You are?" It seemed like the perfect Miss Abby had made another friend. She liked Abby, so why did it bother her that she was going out with JD?

"Yep."

"You should show her Rowdy. I bet she'd like him."

JD grinned. "That's a great idea, I bet she would."

--

"You didn't make her cry, did you Tim?"

He shook his head. "No, I didn't."

"Then what happened?" Abby's natural curiosity was getting the better of her.

Tim sighed. "She asked if we had ever dated. I said yes, and then she asked why we broke up and if you'd cheated on me."

"What?" Abby stopped in her tracks. "She thought I cheated on you?" Abby found herself getting irritated, no pissed, at this little revelation. "I have never cheated on any of my boyfriends, especially you."

Especially me? Tim thought. But, he knew he'd have to think about that later. Now it was important to stop Abby before she got more upset. "Abby, calm down." He took her hand. "She asked because she wanted to know why I wanted to date her instead of you."

Without thinking about it, Abby squeezed his hand and her voice got quieter. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her the truth, that I wasn't sure exactly why we broke up." He squeezed her hand back. "Why did we break up, Abby?"

Abby looked at him, a sad smile on her face. "It just happened."

His heart leaped. He'd always wondered if it had been something he'd done that caused their downfall. If that were the case, she surely would have remembered.. Abby never forgot a slight. She'd always forgive, but never forget. At that moment, all he wanted to do was sweep her into his arms and kiss her the way she'd kissed him in the lab only a couple of days ago. Instead, he asked "So what does that mean for us now?"

"I don't know.."

It's now or never, he thought. Pulling Abby's hand to his chest, he put his free arm around her and kissed her. Her eyes opened wide as she wrapped her other arm around his neck, kissing him back.


	7. Kissing a Fool

Then as suddenly as the kiss had started, it was over. Abby stepped back, her cheeks red and smiling.

"You haven't lost your touch.."

Tim grinned back. "Neither have you."

Abby's smile faded just a little bit. "I'll see you tomorrow."

His face fell. "See me tomorrow...Abby? I thought we were getting back together."

"I know you did, Tim. But we can't. Not yet." Her lower lip trembled just slightly, and he wanted to comfort her. He tried to hug her, but she took a step back.

"Abby? What's going on?"

Now he looked like a puppy who'd been kicked, and it nearly broke Abby's heart to see it. But one of them had to be strong, and today it was going to be her. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "I don't want you to be with me just because we were together before. I need you to give Elliot a chance. It's not fair to you, or me, or her if you don't. You're not that kind of person, Tim."

He still looked confused. "How long do I have to wait? One date, one week, one month? Abby, you have to admit this sounds a bit silly." Maybe he could argue her out of this with logic. Abby loved logic almost as much as she loved forensics and Caf-Pow.

She pressed her lips together for a moment before answering. "You wouldn't feel guilty about dumping Elliot today? Especially after telling her we were just friends? She may not have driven off yet, you might still be able to catch her."

He winced visibly at her words. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Abby was right. Even Tony wouldn't be that mean to a girl. He hung his head in defeat. "All right, Abby. You win. I'll see you tomorrow."

As he headed off to his car, Abby watched him, tears sliding silently down her cheeks. She could only mouth the words "I'm sorry" around the lump in her throat. She watched until his headlights faded into the distance before she got in the hearse and drove away.

--

The entire trip home, Abby was thinking about Tim, and how it had felt when he kissed her. She felt terrible for leaving him upset like that. Her answering machine was blinking. She had two messages.

"Message 1: Hey, Abby. It's me, JD. I just wanted to say I had a good time today, and I look forward to seeing you again. Just give me a call and we'll set something up."

"Message 2: ..."

Abby was pretty sure she knew who the second message was from. She sighed, then started to get ready for bed. Why hadn't she just taken Tim back? What stopped her? Would ditching Elliot at this point really have been that tragic?

Then, there was JD. He was smart, funny, awkward, a touch insecure. Just like Tim. Is that why she'd agreed to go out with him? For once, Abby didn't know what to do.

"Why can't the rest of my life be as easy as working in the lab?" she asked no one in particular.

--

Tim cursed inwardly. He never should have left a message on Abby's machine. From the payphone outside his apartment? What was he thinking? Even the fact he didn't say anything was a dead giveaway to someone who knew him as well as Abby did.

At this rate, instead of having two fake girlfriends, he was going to have no girlfriend at all. At this point, he wasn't sure that was such a bad thing. In fact, he was starting to understand why Tony never got serious with the girls he dated. It's a lot easier that way.

--

Elliot dropped her keys in the bowl by the door, setting her purse down. She was even more distracted than usual, with thoughts of the date running through her head. Her and Tim, Tim and Abby, Abby and JD. JD and her. It was a mess. If she was worried about Tim having ongoing feelings for Abby, and they had the same relationship that she and JD did, what did that mean for her? Did she still care about JD as more than a friend? Was that why she wasn't entirely pleased with him dating Abby the wonder girl?

Tim had wanted to see her again, but how long was that going to last? A week? Probably a month tops before her eccentricities finally pushed him over the edge and away for good.

--

JD sat in a chair, petting Rowdy, and telling him about the evening.

"So you see, Rowdy, I have a date. She's a really cool girl named Abby, wears a collar just like you. Though, I'm pretty sure it's not for the same reasons. Elliot's got a date too, with Abby's friend Tim. Frankly, I'm surprised Elliot made it through the date and that they're having another one." He leaned over to whisper conspiratorially. "She was shredding a napkin, Rowdy.."

The dog's immobile head shook back and forth.

"She did."

The head shook again.

"She did!" He rolled his eyes. "I don't know why I bother telling you anything anyway. You never believe me."

Then, the dog's head was in JD's lap, and he smiled, patting the head of his dear friend. "It's ok, Rowdy, I forgive you."


	8. You Can't Always Get What You Want

When the alarm went off, McGee rolled over with a sigh. He didn't want to get up and go back in to work today, not after what happened last night. But, he knew he had to go in, even if he didn't want to. Maybe going in early would help. Yes, that seemed like a good idea.

Entering the bullpen, he thought he was alone. He'd passed Gibbs on the way in as the boss had gone for coffee.Tony wouldn't be there that early, and if Abby was, she'd be in the lab. So, it was with surprise that he noticed Ziva already at her desk, working on paperwork. The orange hat sat to one side. Taking a deep breath, he walked past her and sat at his desk.

"McGee?" She asked, a questioning tone in her voice. "What are you doing here this early?"

"I had some...paperwork to finish."

She shook her head. "No you didn't. You gave it to Gibbs before you left last night like you always do. Is something wrong?"

"No."

"McGee, I'm not Tony. I won't make fun of you." Now, her questioning tone was replaced with one of concern, and he knew she was right.

"It's a long story.."

"Is it about Abby?"

At first, he was shocked that Ziva had pegged it, but then he remembered the scene in the lab that had started this whole mess. "Yeah."

"You...love her?"

Now this was getting creepy. Was it that obvious to everyone at NCIS? "I do.."

"Then, she must not feel the same way or you wouldn't be upset."

"I honestly don't know how she feels. She acts like she cares about me as more than a friend, but then she tells me we can't get back together." He sighed, burying his face in his hands. Ziva stood up, walking over to McGee's desk and patting his back.

"McGee..if you care about Abby, and I believe you do, you can't give up on her. I see how you two are together, and I think that she cares about you too."

He looked up at her. "Then why won't she go back out with me?"

"You really have no idea?"

"She said it was because I went on a date with another girl, and I'm not like Tony. I don't dump girls that fast. She said it wouldn't be fair to her or Elliot, the other girl, if I dumped her like that, and she didn't want to be the one I picked just because we'd been together before. How can I make her see that's not the case?"

Ziva shrugged. "I don't know, McGee. If I did, I would tell you. But, how do you feel about this other girl, Elliot?"

"I like her. She's a doctor over at Sacred Heart. But, she's not Abby. If I keep dating her because Abby won't date me, isn't that just as bad as dumping her?"

"It is if that's the only reason you date Elliot. Would it be?"

"No, it wouldn't."

There was a pause. "Do you remember Lt. Roy Sanders, McGee?"

"He was the International Atomic Energy Agency inspector who was poisoned. He gave you that orange hat."

Ziva smiled faintly. "Yes, he did. We'd run past each other every day for weeks, never stopping, never saying anything more than hello. By the time I actually got to know him, it was too late."

"I'm sorry, Ziva." It had been obvious to the entire team how much Ziva cared for him, even over that short time.

She smiled again. "I'm not. Though I didn't get to know him for very long, I'm still glad that I did. I like Abby, but you can't put the rest of your life on hold while you wait for her to come back to you, because she may not. I think you know that."

Even though her words made sense didn't mean he wanted to hear them. "Yeah, I guess not."

"I'm not saying it can't happen McGee, just that you don't know if it will."

"I know, Ziva. I just wish things made more sense."

"Relationships are the most complex thing I've ever encountered, next to the English language." She was being perfectly serious but McGee couldn't help it, he laughed. Soon Ziva joined him.

"What's so funny?" Gibbs asked, entering the bullpen with hot coffee in hand.

"Nothing, Boss." They chimed in unison.

"Riiight.."

---

Abby picked up the phone, dialing JD's number as she drove into work. He answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, JD. It's Abby. I got your message last night. Got any ideas for our date?"

JD had thought about it, but all the ideas he came up with seemed too plain, too ordinary for a girl like Abby. "I did, but I couldn't come up with anything good."

"Well, I got one. Let's go to the arcade and play DDR."

"DDR?"

"Dance Dance Revolution, it's a video game and a work out. It's hard to explain, but you'll like it." Abby was grinning at the idea of JD playing. If it were Tim, they'd be playing first-person shooters. Why was it she couldn't do anything without thinking of Tim? What happened? It wasn't this way before.

"Abby?" JD sounded confused.

"What?"

"You just quit talking. I thought I'd lost you."

"Oh, JD, I'm sorry. Just on the phone while I'm driving. Not always the best idea."

JD laughed. "Oh, that's ok. I do that all the time. So when did you want to go play?"

"Friday night.

"Deal." 


	9. Over My Head

Elliot had gotten off work early, and was about to go home when suddenly she got a great idea. In fact, she was so excited, she didn't even tell Carla or JD about it. She just did the planning, and headed out on a little trip.

Half an hour later, she was outside the Washington Navy Yard, and briefly reconsidered the idea of showing up at NCIS and surprising Tim.

"Quit being a chicken..Just go.", she gave herself a little pep talk. The place was so large, she had to ask three separate people for directions. Funny how nobody knew who McGee was, but as soon as she mentioned Gibbs, everyone knew exactly where she needed to go. She rode up in the elevator, doing her best to contain the excitement. When the doors opened, she looked around the bullpen, but she didn't see Tim anywhere. She simply stood there, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Can I help you?" She turned to see a well-dressed male agent, sitting behind a desk and watching her expectantly.

"Yes, I'm here to see Tim McGee."

He leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk. "McGeek has a visitor? A female visitor? Oh, this is intriguing." The discussion caused the woman at the next desk to look up and watch. "Did you hear that, Ziva?"

For a moment her eyes flashed in recognition, and she sighed. "Yes, Tony. I did."

With a satisfied grin, Tony turned back to Elliot. "May I ask why you're here?"

Elliot did not care much for the route this conversation was taking. "No. Where is he?"

"He's here somewhere, let me call him for you." Elliot nodded.

"You do that." 

Still grinning, Tony dialed McGee's cell. 

"McGee."

Tony turned so that his back was to Elliot. "Why McGee, you dog. I didn't know you had it in you."

"Had what in me? Tony, what are you talking about?" Abby watched the conversation silently.

"You have a visitor, a female visitor. Before you ask, it isn't your sister." Elliot. It had to be. What on earth was she doing at NCIS? Was something wrong?

"I'll be right up."

"Don't keep her waiting." McGee hung up.

"What's wrong McGee?" Abby frowned at him.

"I think Elliot's here to see me."

"Elliot? Did she bring JD with her?"

Tim glared at her as he headed for the door. "Tony didn't say. I'm guessing not."

As McGee entered the bullpen, he could see Tony watching him with a smirk, Ziva silent and sympathetic, and Elliot doing her best to hide how glad she was to see him. All Tim wanted to do is get Elliot alone so they could talk, but it appeared that wasn't to be.

"So, McGee. Why don't you introduce us to your lady friend." Tony persisted.

"Tony, Ziva, this is Elliot. She's a doctor at Sacred Heart."

"Nice to meet you, Elliot." Ziva said. Tony just continued to grin.

McGee turned to Elliot. "Let's go talk somewhere." She nodded, a little confused by his abruptness, but she followed him down the hall. Opening the door to interrogation, he ushered her in, closing it behind him.

Tony watched them go, then turned to Ziva. "Let's find out what's going on.."

"Tony, I don't think that's a good idea. Give them some privacy."

He rolled his eyes. "C'mon Ziva, what can it hurt?"

----

Elliot watched McGee carefully. He didn't seem happy to see her at all. "What's wrong?"

He paused, taking a deep breath. "Why did you come here today?"

"I-I wanted to see you. I figured it would be nice since you came by Sacred Heart." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, I really wish you hadn't."

--

Despite Ziva's protests, Tony was halfway to the Interrogation room.

"Tony, I really don't think this is a good idea."

"Ziva, this is McGeek we're talking about. You're telling me you don't want to know what's going on?"

Before she could answer, a familiar voice came from behind them. "Know what's going on with what, DiNozzo?"

"McGee's talking to a female visitor in Interrogation, and--"

"And you wanted to spy on him." Gibbs finished.

"Exactly." Ziva agreed.

"The answer's no, DiNozzo. Get back to work and take David with you."

"Right, Boss." As they headed back to the bullpen, Ziva nodded.

--

"What do you mean you wish I hadn't?" Elliot was hurt. "I thought we were getting along, and now you tell me that you wish I hadn't come by to see you??" 

McGee tried to find a good way to explain it. "Nobody knows that we're seeing each other, and I didn't want you to have to deal with Tony." He finished, lamely.

"Deal with Tony?" Her irritation was only growing. "I read the book, Tim, I know about Tony, Ziva, Abby, Gibbs. I know about them all." She paused. "Is it because you're ashamed of me? That you don't want anyone to find out about me because I'm not as great as Abby is?? Is that it??"

Now, how was he supposed to explain to her that everyone here thought Abby was his girlfriend?That Abby had volunteered to be his fake girlfriend, and that's what started this whole situation, dredged up all these feelings that he'd finally gotten under control. "No, Elliot, that isn't it. It's just complicated." He stepped toward her, trying to put a hand on her arm, but she backed up.

"Complicated like your feelings for Abby?" At this point she was trying really hard not to start crying and she didn't know how much longer she was going to be successful.

"Elliot..."

"Don't Elliot me. I'm sorry I came." Without waiting for his response, she opened the door to Interrogation, almost bumping into Abby in the hallway.

"Oh, geez. Elliot, I'm sorry. Are you all right?" Abby asked, concerned.

Elliot swallowed thickly. "Yeah, I'm fine. You can have him, Abby, since you're the one he wants anyway."

"Elliot, wait." Tim followed her. 

Elliot whirled on her heel to face them. "If you don't want me to make a scene, you're going to let me leave without another word. Trust me, I'm -really- good at making scenes, and I doubt you want that considering you didn't even want me here in the first place."

Tim didn't know what to say, so he simply stood there as Elliot stomped past Ziva and Tony, to the elevator, and out of NCIS.

Tony watched Elliot leave. "I guess there's trouble in paradise."

"You have no idea." Ziva muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing."

He nodded. "I bet Abby could take her, no sweat."


End file.
